Things to Do in Ezcaray

This region was originally populated by the Basqye tribe of the Austrigones, which is where the area got its name. After the defeat of the Muslims in this area in the 10^th century, it was practically abandoned. Before the end of this century, the king Sancho Garcés de Navarra repopulated the area with Navarros Basques, which led to the use of the Basque language. Until the 14^th century, Ezcaray was a stronghold for the Basque language.

In 1076, the area was annexed to Castilla under the rule of Alfonso VI. In 1312, Fernando IV granted independence to the valley, which, among other things, exempted its inhabitants from taxes and payments to Portazgo, with the exception of the cities of Toledo, Murcia, and Sevilla. It was later linked to the lordship of the Manrique de Lara.

In the 15^th century, Ezcaray started making clothes, taking advantage of the wool from the migratory sheep that visited their fields every spring. This meant that fewer wool exports were needed in the North, since they could be produced locally. The Royal Cloth Factory of Santa Bárbara was inaugurated in 1752, which produced wool textiles of the highest quality. In 1785, however, it suffered a fire. It was later rebuilt with stronger materials.

These cloth factories were very important in providing uniforms for the military. For this reason, during the War for Independence, they were occupied by Napoleon’s toops, liberated by a siege led by Wellington, only to be attacked again by the French until the end of the war. In the first Carlist War, the situation repeated itself, until the Royal Factory was ruined for good. However, in spite of these setbacks, in the mid-19^th century, the 29 factories employed almost 1,000 workers.

Today, its natural environment and its extensive, well-preserved monuments to its heritage attract visitors every year in search of activities related to nature, hunting, or other sporting events. The latter can be linked to the ski resort at Valdezcaray.

The urban center of Ezcaray is picturesque, well-kept, and conserves the group of buildings that make up one of the most attractive urban centers in all of La Rioja, especially as far as popular architecture is concerned.

From the central Plaza del Quiosco wind a series of streets and porticoed plazas full of traditional three-floored houses which functioned as homes, as well as warehouses. Among the existing houses are the Palacio del Conde de Torremuzquiz, the Palacio Barroeta (18^th century) with two coats of arms of the Fernández de Tejada on its façade, or the Palacio del Ángel with an emblazoned façade which also exhibits a ceramic image of San Miguel.

In the Plaza de la Verdura, attached to an arcade column, is the Argolla del Fuero, which was used to show the public who broke the law, and at the same time, it served as a reminder of the strength of the law and the consequences for breaking it. Additionally, if an accused person wanted to receive a more just trial, he/she came here, and, if he/she grabbed this ring, they would be eligible for thieir jurisdiction. Given that the Fuero de Ezcaray granted many rights to its inhabitants and those of the surrounding areas, to achieve it was a privilege.

The Iglesia Parroquial de Santa María la Mayor, dating back to the 12th-16^th centuries, was constructed where another Romanesque church used to be. The building, declared of cultural interest, is a fortress-like church made of Ashlar stone, a single nave covered with ribbed vaults, and cylindrical towers at the angles. The Romanesque part is composed of the chapel of the Immaculate Conception and a tower, and the rest of the place is mostly Gothic. It presents a beautiful Gothic façade with a Plateresque door (1532) which is adorned by a frieze. Its interior houses the Museo Parroquial, which takes care of works from nearby, uninhabited villages.

The Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Allende is another interesting Baroque construction from the 18th century. It has a floorplan in the shape of the Latin cross and a dome over a transept and vaults with lunettes. It contains a notable main altarpiece with a Gothic carving of the Virgin of Allende, patron of Ezcaray, as well as a valuable collection of ten oil paintings of arquebusier angels of the school of Virreinato from Peru (17^th-18^th century).

Finally, it is worth mentioning the building of the Royal Cloth Factory of Santa Barbara, whose Casa de Tintes is also known as “El Fuerte.” It was fouded in 1752 with the support of the Marguis of the Ensenada and remodeled after it suffered a fire in 1785. In 1992, it was declared of Cultural Heritage, and it is currently functioning as a hotel.